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Wednesday, 28 June 2017

Franco-Fete, Arts, and Packing for Costa Rica

It's been non-stop actions in the last five days as we're getting ready for our trip to Costa Rica.

On Saturday, I swam 54 laps in the morning, took my Spanish lessons, did grocery shopping, and notified my credit card companies of my upcoming trip.

On Sunday, I ran 5K in the morning, took my Spanish lessons, then did laundry, before going to the Franco-fete de Toronto music festival. The weather was great on Saturday but wacky on Sunday, alternating from sun, to rain, lightning, thunderstorms, then back to sunshine. I attended two concerts at the festival, and in between the two shows, went to view the Summer Arts exhibitions at Harbourfront Centre. There were many interesting vignettes to see and the exhibitions are on until September so I may return for a second look.

On the first three days of this week, I did my Spanish lessons, workouts in the gym, yoga, and stretched in the morning, then started packing and buying a few items that we need for the trip. I went through my travel checklist to ensure we have the essential documents, small amount of cash, some snacks, first aid kit, electronic devices, converters, chargers, clothing, and toiletries. For our home, I double checked to ensure all bills are paid, use up perishable items in the fridge, water my house plants, take out garbage, do light cleaning, and have someone pick up our mail during our vacation.

This morning I checked in online for our flight to San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica. I booked this trip back in March and it is finally here! Tonight we're going on a boat cruise around the Toronto Island and Harbour for a graduation dinner party.

We’ll be up early tomorrow morning to get to the airport on time for our flight. This will be our second visit to Costa Rica but first time to San Jose. We’re excited, and look forward to having an awesome trip like we did in Playa Grande.

As usual, we pack light, one carry-on suitcase and a small day pack each. The weather forecast for San Jose shows daytime high temperature around 25 Celsius (or 77F), mix of sunny, cloudy, rainy days, and isolated thunderstorms, similar to what we’ve been having in Toronto. Our flight will be about five hours long with Toronto time two hours ahead of San Jose time. I'll have plenty of time during our flight to reflect on the first half of 2017 and what's new for the second half of 2017.

On this trip, we plan to explore San Jose and its surroundings at an easy pace. I look forward to light hiking, bird watching, wildlife spotting, and relaxing by the pool. I’m also keen to enjoy Costa Rican coffee every morning and have my fill of tropical fruits. If we end up not doing much, I'll be fine with just being as well :)

We’ll return home on July 8th evening. If I have good Internet service during the trip, then I may do a quick post. Otherwise, I’m scheduling my June in a sentence-a-day post to go live on July 6th. Please check back next Thursday for my June review and link-up with other fabulous bloggers who also write their months in a sentence a day.

So much to think about before leaving for vacation. I know teachers often say preparing for a substitute for a day out of the classroom is almost more work than being at work. Kind of the same with vacation. And sadly, a lot of the getting for vacation seems to fall on the wife/mother. My mom would always say she worked for days to get ready for a trip and my dad just jumped in the car.

Hope your trip to Costa Rica is the perfect combination of activity and rest.

About Me

Welcome to my blog! In 2018, I'm exploring and enjoying a bit of fitness, entertainment, arts, social activities, and travels to keep my mind, body, and spirit alive and healthy. I hope that you'll join me on this journey.